There are three distinct types of insurance adjusters.

The insurance company adjuster is employed by the insurance company and is required by law to protect the rights and interests of the insurance company.

The independent adjuster is contracted by the insurance company and is required by contract and law to protect the rights and interests of the insurance company.

The licensed public adjuster is contracted by the policyholder to protect the policyholder’s interests and negotiate a fair and reasonable settlement for an insured loss.

A Public Insurance Adjuster is an expert on loss adjustment and the recovery process, employed by you — not the insurance company. He works on your behalf using his knowledge of insurance policies and negotiation techniques to prepare, file, and manage the payment of your property insurance claim.

Many policyholders are confused by the word “independent.” It means that adjuster is licensed to represent multiple insurance companies — but he represents those companies, not you.

The independent adjuster’s income is paid by the insurance carrier he represents. His financial priority is the company, not you.

A Public Adjuster is licensed to represent you — the individual or business that purchased the policy. When I work for a policyholder, I work only toward what is in their best interest to reach a fair settlement for their loss.

Yes. I am a Senior Claim Law Associate (SCLA) and a member of the National Association of Public Insurance Adjusters (NAPIA).

All public adjusters licensed in Missouri must know and comply with Missouri insurance laws — but passive compliance alone is not enough to overturn improper denials and turn underpayments into fair settlements. I have pursued formal education beyond my license requirements to serve my clients more effectively.

As a NAPIA member, I am held to the highest standards of professional conduct and ethics. NAPIA is the oldest and most esteemed organization in the public adjusting profession.

No. Most insurance companies operate in good faith and attempt to hire adjusters who do as well.

That said, when a policyholder wants to collect on a claim, the insurer’s response can sometimes become adversarial. The burden of proof falls on the party filing the claim — which is often an unexpected and misunderstood process for most homeowners and business owners.

Some adjusters work harder to deny a claim than to pay it, which is an improper claims practice. But more commonly, innocent mistakes are made, and they almost always favor the insurance company. Most policyholders never catch them.

Not necessarily. To the untrained eye, large claims can look small. A roofing contractor may identify hail damage to your shingles but miss additional damage to window frames, siding, and doors. A small kitchen fire may be confined to the stovetop while smoke has damaged walls, carpet, draperies, and contents. Water damage from broken plumbing can be invisible to the naked eye but clearly visible with infrared equipment.

Small claims can and should be handled by policyholders themselves, but they are often underpaid simply because the full scope of the loss wasn’t identified.

Call me at no charge, and I’ll give you an honest assessment of whether a public adjuster can help you.

No. Insurance claims are meant to restore you to your financial condition before the loss — not to enrich you beyond it. Neither you nor a public adjuster has the right to demand more than that from your insurance company.

It is often true that policyholders receive more money when represented by a public adjuster than when they handle a claim alone. But the additional recovery is not profit — it’s the full indemnification they were always entitled to.

Insurance carriers have a fiduciary duty to their shareholders and a contractual obligation to their policyholders. That conflict of interest can and does result in wrongful underpayments and denials. I specialize in reversing those outcomes and recovering every dollar my clients are entitled to.

No. I assist policyholders with claims for private or commercial real property damage.

If your insurance carrier has agreed to cover your vehicle damage but you are not satisfied with their settlement offer, you should consider invoking your right to appraisal as described in your automobile insurance policy. While the appraisal process is generally insufficient for real property claims, it can produce agreeable settlements in automobile cases.

Absolutely — and you should.

Once you understand how your policy works, you may want to meet with your insurance agent to fill in coverage gaps or improve your protection. You’ll also learn the essential steps you need to take to protect your rights when disaster strikes.

If you’re concerned about coverage for specific items, your best move is to get complete written assurance from the agent who sold you the policy. That way, if someone later disputes coverage, you have documented proof of what you were told and what was included in your premium.

Filing a claim immediately places you in an adversarial role with your insurance company. Your most powerful leverage comes before a loss — when you’re shaping your coverage while still on good terms with your carrier. If it isn’t in writing, they never said it.

Yes. In fact, I have often used the same engineering report the insurance company cited to deny a claim — and used it to reverse that denial.

In several cases involving commercial and private properties, I’ve used the insurer’s own engineering reports to obtain settlements ranging from $80,000 to $925,000.

Insurance adjusters sometimes incorrectly interpret these reports, overlook information that supports your claim, or manipulate ambiguous language to favor denial over payment. Reversing improper denials based on engineering reports is one of my specialties. See examples on my blog.

No — but the adjuster won’t volunteer that information.

The computer-generated estimate represents his opinion of what you might be entitled to, based on industry software. It does not necessarily account for everything needed to restore your property to its pre-loss condition, and it is not the legal ceiling of your entitlement. Your insurance policy promises to pay what it actually costs to restore you — it does not limit you to anyone’s estimate of that cost.

No — and I want to explain why.

I work on a contingency basis, meaning I am paid a percentage of what I recover for you. Your insurance policy requires that your appraiser be independent and unbiased, with no direct financial interest in the outcome of your claim. That clearly disqualifies me.

There are public adjusters and building contractors who do act as appraisers and umpires, but I do not. The appraisal process was designed by insurance companies and inserted into your policy by them — which should tell you something about whose interests it was built to serve. My practice focuses entirely on negotiating full indemnification for my clients, not through a process structured by the opposing party.

Not necessarily. You can always have your claim reviewed and re-evaluated, and there is no charge for that review if you contact me. Complex issues are common in property loss adjustments, and it’s not unusual for policyholders to request a second look.

If the insurance company’s payments are insufficient to cover the actual costs of restoration or replacement, I may be able to help. If you believe you were fully and fairly indemnified and are simply looking for additional payment beyond that, I cannot assist. Call me and we’ll talk through your situation.

Not in Missouri. The Missouri Department of Insurance explains why.

If your contractor is also a licensed public adjuster, he is prohibited by law from contracting to provide repair or remodeling services for the same loss. If he is not a licensed public adjuster, he may be prohibited from negotiating your claim at all, depending on the nature of the work.

A contractor negotiating with your insurer is also likely to focus only on items that affect his own compensation — while you may be entitled to significantly more under your policy. Any negotiation he has should be with you, not your insurance company.

No. I work only for the policyholder. I do provide consultation to contractors, but I cannot represent them or be hired by them to work on their customers’ claims.

Missouri law prohibits licensed public adjusters from performing restoration or repair work for the policyholders they represent. Being hired by a contractor to negotiate his customer’s insurance claim would be a conflict of interest and falls under the same prohibition.

If you have a customer you believe is being treated unfairly by their insurance company, encourage them to contact a licensed public adjuster directly. Many contractors refer their clients to me, and I’m glad to speak with them.

There is no upfront cost. You pay nothing until you receive payment from your insurance company.

My fee is generally 12.5 to 15 percent of the insurance claim recovery. The exact percentage varies depending on the size of your loss and the complexity of your claim, as each situation is different.

Hiring a public adjuster does not cause delays. I monitor your claim to ensure your insurance company complies with all Missouri regulations and statutes governing required timelines and communications.

Insurance companies sometimes push for a quick settlement at the expense of a thorough investigation — rushing you to close before you’ve identified everything you’re entitled to. Other times, they introduce unnecessary delays to wear you down until you give up. I keep the process on track, in your favor.

Taking the right amount of time to investigate, document, present, and negotiate your claim is how you ensure you receive a fair settlement. Hiring me will not delay your claim — it increases the likelihood that it will be paid in full.

No. I only represent Missouri homeowners and business owners who are referred to me by former clients, or who reach out to me on their own.

I do not solicit claims directly from policyholders, pay lead-harvesting services for referrals, or encourage anyone to file a claim with promises of recovery. Whether you should file a claim is a decision only you should make — and since not every claim requires a public adjuster, that call belongs to you as well.

No — and I want to be transparent about why.

Professional ethics and the laws governing my license prohibit me from making guarantees about recovery. Without a full investigation and policy review, any estimate of your entitlement would be little more than a guess — and I don’t work that way.

I thoroughly investigate a claim, prepare the evidence, and compel the insurance company to honor its obligation to fully indemnify you. That process begins with a proper investigation, not an initial walk-through estimate. Once I have taken a case, I pursue every dollar you are entitled to under your policy.

Unfortunately, no. Arkansas legislators protect their insurance companies from licensed public adjusters by defining the services we provide as a “practice of law.” I serve policyholders throughout Missouri only.

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